Rocksmith Review: Now Your Playing Guitar…For Real

Pros:
Your Playing on a REAL Guitar! I don’t need to emphasize on this any further do I?
The Mini-games are both fun and educational

Cons:
Expert guitar players may not like the slow ramp up to their level.

Ok all you Guitar Hero and Rock Band veterans. I’m talking to those of you who’ve mastered the music/rhythm genre, conquered the endless setlist, and made it to rock stardom all with your plastic toy instruments. I want to know how many times have you heard the following phrase. “Why don’t you play a real guitar?”

No Cartman, it’s not gay. It’s not for old people. Playing a real guitar is cool. Playing a real guitar will even get you laid! (seriously this really works)

While the concept of playing a real guitar will be tough for some of you out there, myself included, there is a solution. One would be to get lessons which could cost you a lot money. You could also ask a friend who does play to teach. The only problem with that is you have to hope that he makes the time between his/her rock/sex schedule to teach you. If the first two ideas aren’t working then there is a solution. I decided to pick up Rocksmith. I immediately spent the $200 on the game, guitar and cords, and so far I’ve been very impressed. This ended up being a great investment for a beginner like myself.

Rocksmith, from Ubisoft, is more than just a music/rhythm game. It’s a program that teaches you how to play a real guitar. No more plastic toys and button memorization. It’s time to get real. Guys, let me tell you that chicks are not impressed by you playing “Through The Fire And Flames” on expert difficulty. They love it more when you play any song on the real thing. Are you getting the point, or do I need to drill the message in your head a little further?

Just like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, Rocksmith will have you matching the colored notes and chords. Each color matches the six strings of the guitar while the numbers represent the fret bar. At first I had some trouble adjusting since I was a noob at the guitar, but the best part about Rocksmith is that the game moves at your pace so that there is no frustration. I started out with “Satisfaction” from The Rolling Stones. At first I was struggling, but after a few sessions I started to get the hang of the song. Even when I turned off the game I began to play it without the help of the game to aid me. What a learning tool Rocksmith is.

Learning at your own pace is what makes Rocksmith unique. You don’t need to worry about high scores, star power and all those other things that the Rock Bands and Guitar Heroes had. You even don’t need to worry about ever failing out of a song. The video crowd is not going to boo you and tell that you suck, although they will jump around and cheer for you when your really rocking. Rocksmith is about learning and having fun in the process.

Along with a full setlist of amazing tracks spanning the last 50 years. Bans include The Rolling Stones, Lynard Skynard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Lenny Kravitz and so much more. Rocksmith also has a varity of mini-games to unlock. These mini-games are more than just “games.” They also let you get comfortable with the guitar so that you never feel alienated to the concept. Let’s also not forget that there’s plenty of DLC featuring more tracks to play ranging from classic rock to heavy metal.

Rocksmith is more than just a game. It’s an educational tool for anyone looking to learn how to play a real guitar. The game also comes with a cord to plug your guitar into an amp and jam, or you can use the other USB cord and jan through your Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. Take my advice people, it’s time to grow up people so do the world a favor and trash the plastic toys and play the real thing instead.

[…] some poor schmuck buys them. Me, I moved on to a real guitar, and I’m learning to play using Rocksmith. So what do I do now with all those Rock Band tracks cluttering my Xbox 360 hard drive that I […]